


An (In)Opportune Week

by claraowl



Category: Skip Beat!
Genre: Contrived reasons to live together, Established Relationship, F/M, Friendship, Kyoko has a very possessive bff and bf, Passive-Agressive Competitions ensue, RenKyo Week 2020, TW: Mention of Cockroaches (not seen), and they have to learn to share, it's a great week for Kyoko, while Kyoko is completely oblivious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:02:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25102861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/claraowl/pseuds/claraowl
Summary: When Kyoko and Kanae's apartment needs to be fumigated, they find themselves scrambling for a place to stay. But where better than Ren's place? He is Kyoko's boyfriend, after all. Will Kuon and Kanae ever be able to share Kyoko? KyoRen Week 2020
Relationships: Kotonami Kanae & Mogami Kyoko, Mogami Kyoko/Tsuruga Ren
Comments: 62
Kudos: 65
Collections: A Collection of KyokoRen Week Participant Fics





	1. Chance

**Hello and welcome to my entry for Kyoko/Ren Week 2020! Today's word is "chance." I own nothing!**

Kyoko unlocked the door to the apartment and stepped inside, flipping through the mail. As usual, it was mostly junk - some for her, some for Kanae - but there was an envelope for both of them from their landlord. That was strange; they had just paid rent. Why would their landlord need to send them anything? She took off her shoes and put them away, then went to see if Kanae was back.

The two had been living together for a few months now. Kyoko couldn't stay in the Darumaya anymore - it just wasn't safe enough, and her weird working hours meant that she risked waking up taisho and okami-san whenever she got home. So she and Kanae had decided to get an apartment. It was cheaper than each having one of her own - and any place that could keep out the Kotonami horde could keep out the press. Besides, Kyoko hadn't been ready to move in with Kuon yet. Or deal with the paparazzi finding out that they were together. _That_ was a mess she didn't want to handle yet. Eventually she would - but hopefully by then, she'd be a more established actress.

"MOKO!" Kyoko launched herself at Kanae, who was glaring back and forth between two scripts on the couch.

Kanae whipped out her hand, stopping Kyoko with a practiced ease. "Mo, can't you ever greet me normally?"

"But I missed you! I didn't get to see you this morning before I left for school!" she plopped down next to her on the couch. "Picking scripts?"

"Mmm-hmm. Dramas. They'd both be good, but the filming schedules mean I can only pick one." She dropped them on the couch with a sigh. "Anything good in the mail?"

"Just junk, but there's a note from the landlord." She held up the little envelope. "Do you think we got something wrong when we paid rent this month?"

"Doubt it. Just open it and see what she wants." Kanae leaned her head against the back of the sofa. _Please don't let it be anything bad._

Kyoko ripped open the envelope and skimmed it. She gasped, "Fumigation?"

"What?" Kanae's head snapped up. She leaned against Kyoko and skimmed it. "Damn it, those weirdos on the fourth floor ordered a _cockroach_ farm and then set them loose? And didn't _tell_ anyone for weeks?"

"We have to be out of here tomorrow? And she's telling us _now_?" Kyoko stared indignantly at the piece of paper. "What are we supposed to do? Where are we going to go?"

Kanae groaned. "You'd think that she'd give us more notice."

"Where are we going to go?" Kyoko repeated, a note of panic in her voice. "The Darumaya isn't safe enough, and you're way more recognizable than I am!"

"And my extended family's in town this week. I don't know if there's still space for me there, let alone you." She sighed. "And Chiorin's abroad."

"Hotels are so expensive, too," Kyoko whimpered. "I don't think we could afford that."

Kanae took a deep breath. "Okay, before you start panicking - and don't look at me like that, we both know you were two sentences from a freak-out - let's make some calls. I'll call the brood and see if they have space. You call someone else, you have more friends. Maybe try Maria-chan."

"She's visiting her father," Kyoko said, twisting her fingers together. "And I don't know if there's anyone else who would be willing to let me or us stay. Sure, people are friendly, but the only other _friend_ friend I have is Ren. And that wouldn't really be appropriate, all things considered."

"Fine, we'll take our chances with the brood. Go get changed, you're still in your uniform, and then start packing. We have to be out of here tomorrow either way." Kanae waved her away, then dug out her cell and dialed the home phone. It was picked up almost instantly. "Hey, it's Kanae. No, shut up a second and listen. So my apartment's…."

Kyoko scurried away to do as she was bid, mind spinning. What were they going to do? Where were they going to stay? Sure, Kuon probably wouldn't mind her staying - they had lived in a hotel room together, for crying out loud - but would he be okay with Moko, too? Well, probably, but…. Kyoko paused halfway through hanging up her uniform skirt. What if he was _too_ okay with it? She trusted both of them - she knew that Kuon wouldn't cheat on her and that Moko would never betray her like that. She did. But she also knew firsthand how wonderful both of them were. _It wouldn't take a genius to choose one of them over me_. What if she was getting in the way of their possible happiness? And if they stayed with him, would that make them realize it? She didn't think she could survive losing both of them.

Kanae's voice broke through her swirling worries. "No luck with the brood, unless we want to sleep on the bare floor with the toddlers. Which, let me tell you from experience, we don't." She raised an eyebrow from her vantage point in the doorway to Kyoko's room. "Okay, what's wrong? I can tell you're spiralling."

Kyoko hesitated, then said in a rush, "Please-don't-fall-in-love-with-Ren!"

Kanae just blinked at her. "Why the hell would I fall in love with him?"

"Because - because!" Kyoko finished hanging up her skirt and turned to face her, hands flapping. "You're both so wonderful, and you would look so good together, and you'd make such a power couple in the acting world! And -"

"Stop." Kanae held up a hand. "I don't know where this came from, but just… no. First off, no matter _who_ it was, I would never go after your boyfriend. You're my best friend. Second, I have no interest in dating anyone right now. Maybe ever. Third, the _only_ conversations I have ever had with him have been about you or with you. Fourth, I don't think there's a woman on this entire planet that would make that man look at anyone but you. Fifth, and do _not_ make me say this again-" she glared at Kyoko, whose eyes were now bright with tears, "-you are also wonderful. You two look amazing together, and you _are_ going to be a power couple in the acting world."

"I'm sorry, Moko!" Kyoko wailed, throwing herself at her best friend. "I know you would never and he would never but I just…!"

Kanae caught her, letting Kyoko sob into her shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. I know. We have seriously got to work on that insecurity of yours. Now, as much as I hate to say it, you need to call him and see if you can stay. I'll deal with the brats, but there's literally no reason for both of us to have to wake up covered in snot."

When Kyoko had dried her eyes, she said, "I could ask him if we could both stay. The guest room has two beds."

Kanae, long used to Kyoko's quick recovery times, nodded. "I guess it would be better than bunking with the brats. But I'll be alright either way." _I'm not sure if I want to deal with you two being all lovey-dovey… but I don't want to deal with toddlers, either._

Kyoko smiled as Kanae went to start packing. _Okay, I don't need to worry. I knew that. I need to look at this differently - this is a chance to spend the week with my two favorite people!_ She fished her phone out of her bag and dialled.

**vVvVvVvVvVvVvVv**

Kuon had just gotten back to his dressing room when his phone rang. His face lit up when he saw Kyoko's name on the screen, and Yashiro made himself scarce. Kuon ignored his manager's gleeful chuckles and answered, "Hello, princess."

"Hi!" Her voice was nervous; that was never good. "How was your day?"

"Good, work's going smoothly and now I get to talk to you earlier than usual." He glanced at his watch; they usually didn't talk for another three hours. "I'm guessing your day hasn't been so calm."

The line was silent for a long moment, which worried him, before Kyoko blurted, "Moko's and my apartment is getting fumigated and we have to leave tomorrow, but we don't really know where to go so can we stay with you?"

"You know you're always welcome, Kyoko." He went to run a hand through his hair, but stopped himself. He didn't want the hairstylist scolding him.

"Is… is it okay if Moko stays, too? Because she's got family in from out of town so she would have to sleep with the little kids on the floor, and I'm sorry we're imposing so much but I promise I'll do all the cooking and -"

"Kyoko," he interrupted, "Kotonami-san is welcome as well. She's your best friend." _Even if I'm going to have to compete with her for your attention._

"Thank you so much!" she gushed, relief evident in her voice. "I really appreciate this. I don't know what else we would have done."

A knock on the door signalled he would be needed in five. "Text me the details, okay? I need to get changed and get back to set."

"Of course! I'm sorry I interrupted you at work. Good luck!"

He smiled. Some things never change. "I was on break, so no worries."

She laughed. "Alright. Thank you again! I love you."

"I love you, too. Bye, princess."

"Bye!"

**vVvVvVvVvVvVvVv**

Kanae had just finished packing her dufflebag when Kyoko knocked on her open door. She glanced up to see a brilliant smile. "Good news, I take it?"

"Ren said that we can both stay with him. I managed to catch him on a break, so we didn't get to talk long, but I just texted him the details." She bounced on the balls of her feet. "Wow, you pack fast!"

"That's awfully nice of him." _Considering that I barely know him, this is absolutely just for Kyoko's sake. Good._ "And you need to pack, too. Get what you'll need for the week and then start gathering up the plants. We can't leave them here during the fumigation. I'll go start packing up our food. It won't last a week, so we'll need to take it with us."

"Yes! He was really understanding about the situation." Kyoko tilted her head. "The old cooler from taisho and okami-san is in the coat closet. Do you think everything will fit?"

"I can make it fit." Kanae stood. "Go pack. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

**vVvVvVvVvVvVvVv**

The next evening found a heavily disguised Ren knocking at their apartment door. He had already dropped a giddy Yashiro off at home, not wanting to deal with his teasing for a second longer. His manager's glee was only marginally dampened by the fact that Kyoko's overprotective, possessive best friend was also staying the week. In fact, he seemed to think that it was a good thing, since it would keep Ren in check. As if he hadn't had plenty of practice doing just that when they were playing the Heels. _So no, Yashiro, I don't need another pair of hands. I can help the girls carry everything on my own, thank you._ He knocked.

The door swung open and a frazzled Kotonami Kanae thrust a heavy rack of plants into his hands. "Hi, thank you, take the plants."

"Hello, Kotonami-san-" but she was already gone, leaving the door open. He went to step inside, but in moments Kanae and Kyoko were in front of him, each with a duffle over their shoulders and carrying a cooler between them. "Hello, princess."

Kanae hurried Kyoko through the door, then locked it behind them. Kyoko looked up at him apologetically. "Hi. The cockroaches came through the drains."

"Ah. Hence the speedy escape." He gestured to the cooler with the plant box. "Here, I can put the plants on the cooler."

Kyoko hesitated, but Kanae was more than happy to let Ren carry it. As far as she was concerned, this week was her chance to truly put to the test whether or not this man was worthy of her best friend. Or at least good enough, because really, could anyone really be worthy of Kyoko? (No, not that she would ever admit that.) Besides, they had unfinished business from the Happy Grateful Party.

Kuon, to his credit, was aware of all of this. For him, this week wasn't just a chance to have a taste of what it would be like to live with Kyoko - it was a chance to ingratiate himself to her best friend. Neither of them would ever willingly leave Kyoko's life, so they might as well tolerate each other, for her sake.

Kyoko, unaware of all of this, set down the cooler. "Thank you, Ren." _I need to remember to call him by his stage name this week._

She was rewarded with his heavenly smile as he set the plants on top of the cooler and started carrying them back to his car. "Of course, princess!"

Kanae managed to not roll her eyes as she followed the pair to his car. _Of course he calls her princess. Well, this week is my chance to make sure he knows he had better treat her like a damn queen._

**What do you think so far? Let me know!**


	2. Picture

**Welcome back! Today's word is "picture." I own nothing!**

It took all of Kanae's acting ability to not openly gape at Ren's apartment. Sure, Kyoko had described it before, but this was absurd. She had thought that the building itself was insane (to say nothing of the fact that Kyoko knew the guards by name), but this? Who needed this much space? And this was all for one person! She rounded on Kyoko and stared at her. Kyoko giggled. "I know, I had the same reaction."

"To what?" Ren asked, setting down the plants in the living room.

Kyoko just smiled in response and pulled on her slippers (and they were _her_ slippers, Kanae noted - they were castle-themed). "What sounds good for dinner? I know you probably don't have groceries, but Kanae and I brought our food."

"I have yogurt," Kuon protested. "You told me yourself that yogurt was a good source of protein."

Her lips twitched. "Yes, it's a good snack or a very light meal. Did you want to have a yogurt dish for dinner?"

"I'm good with whatever you want to make." He set the box of plants to one side, then picked up the cooler. "I can start unpacking this if you ladies want to get settled."

"Okay, thank you!" Kyoko chirped. She turned to the still-baffled Kanae. "C'mon, the guest room is over here."

Kanae followed, shooting Ren an unreadable look. He shot her a sparkly smile in return - the one that Kyoko had warned her about. But she didn't have long to mull this over, as the next moment, she was following Kyoko into the guest room. What kind of apartment had a guest room, much less one with two beds and its own _bathroom_? And why was that tub so huge? And the beds! They were so luxurious… wait a second. Kanae's eyes swept around the room. This room's style clashed with the modern, minimalist look of the rest of the apartment. It was fancy - _princess_ fancy, she realized, watching Kyoko claim one of the beds and swiftly start unpacking her bag, obviously very familiar with the room. That man must have redecorated this room once he realized how often Kyoko stayed here - she was sure of it. What a sap. _Good_.

"Moko, I'm going to go start dinner, does anything sound good?" Kyoko asked, tucking her now-empty duffle under the bed. "Ren was kidding about the yogurt."

"How about that rice and chicken dish you made last week? I think we've got everything for that." A thought struck her. "Hey, what was up with you calling me by my first name earlier?"

"I'm sorry!" Kyoko straightened up, just to bow. "I just thought that you wouldn't want me calling you by your nickname in front of Ren."

Kanae rolled her eyes. "It's fine either way. I'm sure he already knows what you call me." _And it's not like_ he _has a nickname._ "Just don't call me that at work."

"Of course!" Kyoko beamed at her, then skipped out of the room to make dinner.

Kanae sighed and started unpacking her own bag. When she went to hang up a dress in the closet, however, she found something else to confirm her suspicion of Ren's sappiness. Tucked in the back of the closet, hidden unless you looked behind the door's folds, were several outfits. They all had their price tags on them, were in Kyoko's size, and were stupidly expensive. These were either future gifts - or something he just hadn't found an excuse to give her yet. And with Kyoko, you needed an excuse. _Or_ , Kanae thought with a triumphant smirk, _he needs an excuse._ Kyoko did not protest nearly as much when the gifts were from her best friend. She hung up her dress and returned to unpacking. She would have to talk to him about the outfits later, when Kyoko was distracted.

In the kitchen, Kyoko and Kuon had started dinner. She had been teaching him how to cook since they started dating, with modest progress. Anything he made on his own wasn't quite edible yet, but he was a good mincer. So tonight, he was in charge of mincing the vegetables and cubing the chicken. "Is this okay?"

Kyoko glanced over from where she was working. "Yup, but maybe a little smaller on the onions."

He complied. "So, cockroaches?"

She shuddered. "They came up through the sink this afternoon! I've never seen so many in one place before. I don't know what the neighbors were thinking."

"At least the fumigation will take care of it?" He blinked, eyes stinging from the onions.

"I hope so." She glanced up at him. "Thank you again for letting us stay."

"You know that my apartment is always open to you." He had given her a key not long after they had started dating so she wouldn't have to wait outside if his work ran late. Coming home to her on date night was incredible - and this week was a way for him to picture how their lives would be if they lived together.

"What needs doing?" Kanae asked, striding into the kitchen.

With one exception. His mental picture of their future did not include happy domestic moments being interrupted by her best friend. He shot her another sparkly smile while Kyoko delegated tasks - and when Kyoko's back was turned, Kanae shot him an icy smile of her own. Kyoko looked between them, confused, and Kuon shook his head. Right. He needed to try to get along with Kotonami-san this week. Besides, he was their host. He needed to act like it.

"Ren?" Kyoko was looking up at him, apparently waiting for him to respond.

"Sorry, love, what was that?" It was so weird to hear his stage name coming from her lips.

Worry wrinkled her brow. "Can you get the plates down, please?"

"Will do." He gave her a reassuring smile, and her forehead smoothed. _She reads me so easily._

Kyoko glanced between her two favorite people as she finished preparing dinner. She had never noticed it before, but there was definitely a weird tension between them. It wasn't enough to bring out her grudges, but it was definitely there. She set her grudges and angels to work on figuring it out; for now, there was dinner to serve. As they sat down, she said, "You know, it's really lucky that you two have such similar tastes."

They looked up at her, a bit too startled. "What?" Kanae asked.

"You both like lighter foods - I make a lot of the same recipes for you two. Though Moko does like sweet things more, when it comes to celebrating." She clapped her hands together. "Well, let's eat. Thank you for the food!"

Kanae and Ren locked eyes, amused by Kyoko's obliviousness. They echoed her sentiments, and from there the atmosphere relaxed. Conversation drifted to work. Kanae was pleased to report that the coworker who had been giving her problems had finally gotten the hint, "Thanks in no small part to that cursed thing you made me."

"Which one?" Kyoko asked. She had made Moko several items imbued with energy at this point.

"The blue one."

"Oh, the grudge! I'm glad she's keeping you safe." One of the grudge Kyokos had volunteered to possess the little keychain the boss Kyoko had made in her likeness, for the sake of protecting Moko.

Kanae nodded and swallowed her food. "He's convinced I'm some sort of witch, so the rest of the cast thinks he's gone crazy. Serves him right."

"Do you mind if I ask who the actor is?" Ren asked. When Kanae gave the name, Ren grimaced. "Lovely. He's in the film I start shooting tomorrow. I'll make sure to keep an eye on him."

Kanae nodded approvingly. "Thanks. He's a creep."

"So shooting's going well again?" Kyoko asked. She shot Kuon a pointed look; his plate was still mostly full. He took a bite.

"Yeah. Everyone seems more focused now." She took another bite, then asked, "How's your new drama spot going? That started today, right?"

"It's going really well so far! I love getting to work with Shiro-kun." She beamed, then took another bite.

"Shiro-kun?" Kuon echoed. _Who's this guy? And why is she so informal with him, if they just met today?_ "Ah, is he a kid?"

"No, he's an adult," Kyoko replied, looking at him oddly. Her jealousy grudge (even if Kyoko did not know that was what she was) pulled herself away from the meeting.

Kanae gave Kyoko a sly grin. "Right, you told me about him. He's pretty popular with the ladies, right?"

"Mmhmm," Kyoko hummed around her chopsticks. "He stuck by me today, mostly, though. Which was good because we need to get used to each other for the camera."

 _What?_ Kuon stared at Kyoko, baffled by how calm she was about this. _Since when does that type of attention not bother her?_

"How is he on camera?" Kanae asked. She took a bite. "Gods, your food is good."

"Thank you, but we all made this!" Kyoko smiled. "And he's really good, super professional. And he definitely knows all his lines!"

Kanae laughed, increasing Kuon's confusion. _Knowing your lines is the bare minimum. Why is that funny?_ "I haven't heard of him before. Have I seen anything he's in?" _Is he my competition?_

Kyoko tilted her head, thinking. "I dunno. Oh, I have a picture we took on set, though!" She dug her phone out of her pocket. A moment later, she held up the screen to show them.

Kuon let out a sigh of relief. Shiro was a dog. A big, fluffy mutt of a dog who was, in the picture, licking Kyoko's cheek. _Okay, no need to worry. No need to be jealous of a dog._

"Isn't he cute?" Kyoko asked. "And he's really well-trained. He responds to hand signals!" She swiped her phone (it had been updated to a smartphone recently) screen and showed them another picture, this time of a sheet of commands. "I've never gotten to spend this much time with a dog before, so I'm really enjoying it."

"I thought it was a saying, to not work with animals or kids?" Kanae said. "Though I guess it depends on the individual."

"Yeah, don't let Hio-kun hear you say that," Kyoko giggled.

"Or Maria," Ren added.

"Especially not Maria-chan!" Kyoko laughed, setting her phone down on the table. Her finger hit the back button, causing it to go to the gallery. "Oh, oops." She hurriedly turned off her screen.

"Hiding something?" Kuon teased, and was surprised when Kyoko's cheeks went red. "Wait, seriously?"

"Is it the thing I caught you giggling over?" Kanae raised an eyebrow, and Kyoko's cheeks grew darker. "Or is it something else?"

"It's nothing!" Kyoko squeaked, and went to grab her phone to tuck it away.

Kanae was faster. "Gotcha!" She typed in Kyoko's password.

"Moko, no, please!" Kyoko whimpered, grabbing her best friend's arm. She turned on the puppy eyes, which Kanae resolutely ignored and knew he would not be able to if she turned the full force of it on him.

"Mo, are these really it? There's no reason to be so embarrassed about these."

"But they're my treasures!" Kyoko whined, grip tightening.

She continued to ignore her and scrolled through the pictures, mentally tallying how many Kyoko had of whom (or what). So far, nature shots ("fairie" pictures) were winning. _But there are definitely more of us than of her and him. Granted, that's probably because we live together._ "These are really - MO, you said you deleted that!"

Kyoko lunged and managed to wrest the phone from Kanae's hands. "But your bed head was too magnificent to delete!"

"I don't care, delete that!" Kanae made another grab for the phone, but Kyoko jerked her hand away. Unfortunately, it slipped out of her hand - and fell into Kuon's. He stood up and held it out of Kyoko's reach so he could scroll through them as well. There were plenty of adorable photos of Kyoko with Kanae, and many candid shots of just Kanae. There were a few with Chiori and a set of silly ones with Maria, presumably from a sleepover. And then there were the ones of him. _We really need to take more photos together. But I never realized that she takes sneaky pictures of me, too_. Because they were sneaky - a shot of him from the side as he got dishes down from the tall cupboard, a snap of him sleeping on her lap, and even one of him mid-sneeze, from when they had snuck a walk in at a local park and he'd gotten a faceful of pollen.

"Give it back!" Kyoko leapt up and started jumping, trying to reach her phone. "Corn, please!"

Ren froze. Kyoko let out an 'eep' and slapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. Kanae looked at them blankly for a moment, then let out a most unladylike snort. "Okay, so I was wrong. You have an embarrassing nickname for _him_ , too."

Kyoko took advantage of the moment and yanked on Kuon's arm, pulling it down low enough for her to retrieve her phone. "Yeah."

"I'm guessing by the look on your face that it's something really sappy, so I'm going to pass on the backstory. Now sit down, your food's getting cold."

Kyoko sent Kuon an apologetic look, to which he shrugged with a slight smile. She plopped down into her chair, embarrassed by her slip but glad that Kanae wasn't pursuing the subject. This wasn't her secret to tell. She was also glad that neither of them had scrolled far enough down to see her folder of extra-secret pictures: like the one where Kuon had his contacts out and was making a silly face - and the shot of a hysterically laughing Kanae. Those pictures were her _real_ treasures, the sides of them that most people didn't get to see. Sure, other people would see them eventually, but for now, she could keep them all to herself.

**vVvVvVvVvVvVvVv**

After dinner, Kuon insisted on doing the dishes, citing that the girls needed to get settled. So, after they made sure their plants were set up to get plenty of sunlight, they retreated to their room. Kyoko had fully unpacked, but realized that she hadn't remembered to bring toiletries. To their horror, neither had Kanae. They had each meant to pack up the bathroom last, but the cockroaches in the kitchen had distracted them enough that they had forgotten. Kanae groaned. "Great. Now we have to go get some."

Kyoko sighed and popped into the bathroom to at least set out towels. A few moments and some rustling later, Kanae heard an "Oh!"

"What?"

Kyoko came back into the bedroom, trying not to let the embarrassed, ticklish feeling of being cared for show too much on her face. "We don't need to go get anything."

"Seriously?"

She nodded. "I'll need to find a way to thank him."

Kanae peered into the bathroom. Sure enough, there were plenty of toiletries (including a pack of toothbrushes), all things that Kyoko would like. She was fairly certain that the body wash was the exact brand and scent that Kyoko used. _I don't know if that's sweet or creepy. What did he do, take a picture of it when she had him over? Or did he go through the body wash section, sniffing things?_ "Why don't you go do that? I'm just going to relax a bit, maybe go over my offers." Kyoko nodded and slipped out of the room, knowing that Kanae preferred to think over these things in silence. She did not realize that this time, Kanae had other plans.

Kuon was finishing up the dishes when Kyoko entered the kitchen. "Hey, princess. You two settling in okay?"

She nodded and walked up to him, wrapping her arms around him. "Yeah, thanks to you. We both forgot shampoo and stuff, but it looks like you took care of that for us." She hid her face against him. "Thank you for taking such good care of us."

His arms encircled her frame. "Those have been there for a while, actually."

"Really?" She looked up at him, eyes wide. "Why?"

"Because sometimes we talk late into the night on date night, and I wanted to make sure you could take a bath here if you wanted to. Or maybe," his voice took on a teasing tone, "it's part of my evil plan to convince you to move in with me."

"Corn, you know I'm not making enough yet to pay half the rent," she pouted, misinterpreting his teasing.

"And you know that I have no intentions of making you pay half. We've had this conversation before. Your quality of cooking and the cooking lessons are seriously worth more than that, since you're so focused on paying your own way." His hand came up to rest in her hair, playing with the strands. "And as eager as I am, I can wait until you're ready for that step."

"I know, I just…." her voice trailed off, and she tucked her face into a fold in his shirt.

"Just?" he echoed, trying to keep his fear out of his voice. Not that it mattered - she could read his moods far too well.

"What if you get tired of me? What if you realize that you'd rather have someone else, someone better?" Her grip on the back of his shirt tightened. "Someone more your equal?"

He was stunned into silence for a long moment. At last, he said, "Kyoko, I don't think I could ever get tired of you. And we are equals."

"Not in showbiz," she replied, a bit muffled against his chest.

"That's just because you're newer. Talent-wise, we're equal - honestly, I think you're more talented than I am." His fingers played with her hair. "And as for someone better… Kyoko, I really can't picture going through life with anyone but you."

"What about Moko?"

"What about her?"

"Moko's really wonderful, and she's also a fantastic cook, and she's so beautiful. You two would look really good together." _I hate this. Why do I have to bring this up again? I already talked about this with Moko. But…._ "And there was - there was that weird tension between you two before dinner. And then you ganged up on me. And if you get to know her better this week, wouldn't you - wouldn't anyone choose her instead?"

He couldn't help it; he laughed. She looked up at him, furious and teary-eyed, and tried to pull away, but he held her to him. "Kyoko - no. God, no. There's not a person on this planet I would choose over you. That _weird tension_ is our rivalry."

She stopped trying to pull away, and looked up at him, confused. "Rivalry? But you two don't compete for the same awards. Moko's _my_ rival!"

"Not in acting." He grinned down at her, the hand in her hair sliding down to her jaw. "Wanna guess?"

Kyoko blinked up at him. _What else could they compete in? Both of their lives revolve around acting._ "Give me a hint?"

"It's the only way, aside from acting, that Kotonami-san and I have anything in common." His thumb stroked her cheek. _Sometimes I forget that she doesn't know how amazing she is._

Her grudges and angels, having been working on this problem since dinner, swarmed around him, eager for any other hint he might give. An angel whispered to a grudge that it seemed like they might be competing for the boss Kyoko's attention, and the grudge agreed - but the boss Kyoko brushed this off as ridiculous. There was no way they would compete for her; they were both so important to her, there was no need to!

Kuon's thumb traced her lip the way it had in that same kitchen years before, effectively distracting Kyoko. Her eyelids fluttered shut and she raised herself onto her tiptoes in anticipation; Kuon lowered his head-

"Hey, Kyoko?"

Kyoko jumped away with a squeak, and the next moment, Kanae entered the room. "Er - yes, Moko?"

"I'm going to take my bath soon. Do you want to go in first, or...?" She let her sentence trail off, knowing exactly where Kyoko's mind would go.

"Oh! The tub is big enough, do you want to take a bath together? I could wash your back!" Kyoko's eyes shone at the prospect. The bath in their apartment was too small to share. But bathing with Moko! A bath with her best friend! The ultimate best friend bonding experience! "Please?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine. Hurry up, then, you know how long it takes to dry my hair." She shot Ren a triumphant look (which Kyoko missed), turned, and walked back down the hall.

"Okay!" Kyoko beamed. She turned back to Kuon, who was still leaning down, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you again. For - everything." _I needed to hear it from both of you. Now I'll be okay. Grudges, angels - back to puzzling out their mystery rivalry!_

"Have a good bath, princess," he replied. _Time to go take a cold, cold shower and not think about Kyoko bathing in my apartment. And try to control my jealousy._

"Yes!" She scurried off, leaving Kuon to wonder if she would ever be that eager to bathe with him.

Kanae, for her part, sent a picture to Kyoko's phone - the one she had taken right before her perfectly timed interruption. But Kyoko, too eager for her bath, missed the message.

**That was day 2! What do you guys think so far? What would be a funny way for Kanae to test Ren/Kuon? What do you want to see them get really petty over? XD**


	3. Hide

**Back at it again with day three's "hide." I own nothing!**

The next evening, Kanae had to work late, while Kyoko and - miraculously, or thanks to a meddling manager - Kuon were done at decent times. Which meant that when Kuon called out, "I'm home," he received his favorite answer.

"Welcome home, Kuon!" Kyoko called. She bounced off of the couch, where she had been reading a script, and came to greet him. He wrapped her in a hug that lifted her off the ground. She laughed. "I take it you had a good day?"

"Completely normal until a minute ago, when it became a great day." He set her down so he could take off his shoes.

"Did you get good news on something?" she asked, stepping back to give him room.

"Hmm, does coming home to find my adorable girlfriend already here count as good news?" He tucked his feet into his house slippers and gestured for her to lead the way to the living room. She blushed and scurried back to her spot on the couch. Sometimes his flirting still went over her head - but he was always willing to spell it out for her. They didn't have to hide from each other anymore. He flopped down next to her on the couch and felt a thrill when she tucked into his side. "How about you, princess? Did your day go well?"

"Yes!" she beamed up at him. "I had school this morning, and then I got to work with Shiro-kun again this afternoon. He's such a smart, talented dog!" She launched into a long story about how the dog had located a missing script, performed his scenes perfectly, _and_ even brought the lead actress a water bottle when she was at risk of overheating. "And - though this isn't anything to do with him being smart, it's just him being a very good boy - he let me rub his belly today!"

Kuon did the necessary mental calculations and regretfully concluded that he could not take care of a dog with his schedule. "I bet he liked that as much as you did."

She nodded. "You started the new drama today, right? Did that go alright?"

"Yeah." His fingers traced patterns where they rested on her hip. "I'm going to keep an eye on the guy you and Kotonami-san told me about. He didn't do anything today, at least not that I saw. But everything else went smoothly."

"Thank you." Shyly, she tilted her head up and pressed a kiss to his jaw.

"Of course, princess." _I'd do that anyway, but I'm not going to complain if she decides to reward me like this. Especially since we still have to hide from the public._

"Do you remember what time Moko said she would be home?" she asked.

 _She called my apartment home._ "No, sorry. I know she mentioned she was working late, but no clue on the time."

She pulled out her phone. "I'll go back through our texts, then." When he made a confused noise, she elaborated, "Moko and I text each other our schedules every week, so we at least have an idea of where the other is. It makes planning meals easier, too."

 _I would say note to self, but I think Yashiro has that covered._ "Gotcha."

Kyoko clicked onto her conversation with Moko, and squeaked. How had she missed that text? With that _picture_? She scrolled up rapidly, hoping to hide it. The fact that Moko had caught them, on camera no less…!

"What's wrong?" From this angle, he could see that her ears were beet red. It took a fair amount to make her go that shade these days.

"I - um…" _We said we wouldn't lie to each other anymore, even by omission._ She scrolled back down and clicked on the picture, causing it to fill her screen. "Moko sent me this last night."

Kuon looked at the picture, his own face feeling a bit warm. Kotonami-san had somehow captured the moment when he brushed his thumb over Kyoko's lip - she must have taken it, then doubled back in the hallway for a perfect interruption. The accompanying caption read, 'Stop being so insecure, you dork.' He should have been embarrassed or angry over having such a private moment recorded, but… honestly, growing up with his parents, he was used to that. And being able to see the moment from the outside - he knew how it felt to hold her like that, but seeing it was something else. _We really need to take more pictures together._ "Will you send me that?"

Kyoko gaped at him. "But we look so - so wanton in this!"

"What's so wanton about it? I think it's a sweet picture." At the look of scandalized disbelief on her face, he added, "Mom and Dad have pictures of them kissing framed and hanging up in their house. And yes, that includes ones from before they were married."

"Oh." Her voice was small. _So this is okay for me to like so much?_

"So please send it to me before you delete it?" He kissed her temple.

"Alright." _This is probably going in my treasures folder instead of getting deleted._ She forwarded it to him, then tucked her phone away. "Anyway, what do you want for dinner? I kind of went with what Moko wanted last night. Did you really want something with yogurt?"

He shook his head. "Yogurt's better for breakfast. And I'm happy to help with whatever you want to make."

She nodded. "We should probably go get started on something, then."

"Probably." Neither of them made any effort to move. They were too comfortable, and it was honestly rare for them to get a chance to cuddle. He looked forward to the day that they could hold hands in public undisguised. But the privacy was nice, too - and hard to come by as a celebrity. He knew that even after they made their relationship public, they would still have to hide if they wanted to have a normal date.

 _Kyorokyorokyorokyoro_. Kyoko's stomach made its protests known with its usual eerie sound. She let out an embarrassed squeak, and Kuon had to muffle his laughter. "C'mon, princess, let's go get dinner started."

She reluctantly slipped out of his arms, cursing her traitorous stomach for ruining the moment. "I'm thinking omurice, just done normally. I've been experimenting with the recipe and I think I've gotten it light enough that both of you should like it."

He stood and followed her to the kitchen. "What do I need to get down?"

She listed off the tools they would need as she fetched the ingredients from the fridge, then added, "You know, I almost suspect that you put everything out of reach so you have an excuse to be in here."

He shrugged, making her roll her eyes. "Maybe."

"I'm not going to chase you out of the kitchen, you know." Her expression softened. "I really like that you want to help, want to learn. It feels… cozy, somehow." _And so, so different from my previous experience, in all the best ways._

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head as he walked past her to set the pan on the stove. "I admit that at first, I had zero interest in learning to cook; I just wanted to have an excuse to be next to you. But I'm having more fun with it than expected. Maybe someday I'll be able to have something homemade waiting for you when you come home."

Kyoko blushed. "You say that so easily."

"Because I want to make sure that you know how serious I am about you - about us." He caught her hand as she went to pick up an onion. "I need you to know that I'll never pick another woman over you. You're it for me, Kyoko."

Her blush deepened, and she twisted her hand in his so she could link their fingers. "I… I know. I'm working on not being so insecure. It's nothing you've been doing - it's just me." She rubbed her thumb along his. "I was talking with Maria-chan a little while ago, and she mentioned that she and her father were both going to therapy. She said that it was helping them a lot, and that they were both able to start working on their problems. I'm wondering if I should look into therapy, too. I have a lot of issues that - well, they're getting better, but they're still there."

"That makes two of us," he replied. "I've been putting off going since I moved here. My old one in California was fine, but I wasn't really willing to work with him. I couldn't handle facing anything yet." He sighed. "We could ask Boss to recommend some who are discreet."

She nodded. "Maybe next week, when things are back to normal?"

He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand before releasing it, not letting himself linger on 'normal.' "Sounds like a plan. Now, what should I chop?"

**vVvVvVvVvVvVvVv**

Since Kanae wasn't supposed to be back until quite late, Kyoko put her omurice in the fridge. She and Kuon sat down to eat. He chuckled. "This is definitely better than the one I made."

"And it's even got chicken in it," Kyoko teased.

"Does that make you a cannibal?" he shot back.

"Excuse you, variety show roosters are an entirely different species," she replied, faking a scandalized tone. "Their genetic makeup has about as much in common with normal chickens as you do with a platypus."

"So numerically a high amount, but still very different?" _Why a platypus?_

"Exactly!" She punctuated her point with a stab of her chopsticks.

"Are you still keeping it a secret that you play Bo?" he asked, taking a bite of his omurice.

"Mm-hmm." She swallowed her bite, then elaborated, "At first it was just because - well, you know why - but it's become kind of a running gag on the show. And Bo just being Bo helps the guests relax more. Having my name attached would break the suspension of disbelief."

"But wouldn't it help you get more diverse jobs?"

"Maybe, but I don't think the director would have very good things to say about me. I made a very bad impression during that first episode, and I can't blame him for not liking me after that." She gave him a wry smile. He was familiar with that disastrous first episode, having watched it quite a few times both before and after he found out she was the chicken. Seeing Fuwa freak out and have to seriously compete against a chicken was hilarious.

"I'm sure your coworkers would vouch for you." _Especially that Hikaru guy. He's not even trying to hide his crush on you anymore. I almost feel bad for him. Almost._

"That's true," she said thoughtfully. "But for now I like having it stay a secret. It's kind of nice to have a role where I can hide in the costume and just be silly. It's a relief when I come from darker jobs."

"Ah, I can understand that."

"Maybe you should have had something like Bo when you were playing BJ," Kyoko teased, not hearing the click of the front door. "Though I don't know where you could find a mascot costume big enough for you."

He reached over and grabbed her cheek, too focused on her to hear the approaching footsteps. "Is this the mouth that's making fun of me?"

"No, that's my cheek. My mouth is here," Kyoko replied, pointing at it.

"Mo, what the hell are you two doing?" Kanae asked, startling both of them. Kuon let go of Kyoko's cheek and tried to become Ren again.

"Moko!" Kyoko bounced out of her seat and hugged her best friend. Kanae allowed this, eyes narrowed at Kuon, questioning why he had been pinching Kyoko. "You're early! Welcome home! Your omurice is in the fridge if you're ready to eat. Want me to go heat it up for you?"

Kanae winced. "Sorry, I forgot to text you. They had bentos for us on set, so I already had dinner."

"That's okay! Do you want to take it for lunch tomorrow?" she asked, smiling.

"That'd be great. I'll go pack it up." When Kyoko made to go help her, she shook her head. "No, finish eating. Your food will get cold. I'll come sit with you guys once I'm done."

"Okay!" Kyoko sat back down to do as she was told. She dug in, even happier now that both of her favorite people were home safely. Kanae headed to the kitchen.

"Not going to demand proof that she ate?" Kuon asked playfully.

"No," she replied, matching his tone, "because unlike _some_ people, Moko can be trusted to eat."

"You wound me, princess. And here I thought I was doing better lately." He put a hand over his heart and leaned back.

She giggled. "You are, you're just not quite at normal levels yet. You still need some level of supervision, especially if you're trying to actually cook your own food."

"Supervision, huh?" He leaned back towards her. "How much supervision would you say?"

"Well, when we're both in Tokyo, it's usually enough to just talk with you and Yashiro-san… but if you're elsewhere without either of us, then you need to record every meal. That level? Oh, and our date night dinners!" She perked up from her thoughtful tone at this last bit. "Because then I can make sure you're getting lots and lots of vitamins. I really don't know how you functioned before I started making you eat right."

"Neither do I, princess." He pressed another kiss to her temple. "I was a mess without you. Food and otherwise."

Kanae walked in just as Kyoko went bright red. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No!" Kyoko squeaked, remembering the photo Kanae had sent her. "How was your day, Moko?"

Kuon sat back in his own seat and resumed eating as Kanae told them about her day. Things had wrapped early due to equipment issues, and Kanae was _not_ happy about it. "This is the fifth time this has happened with this production! Either someone is actively sabotaging it or whoever's in charge of it is incredibly incompetent. I cannot wait for shooting to wrap."

Kuon made noises of sympathy around his chopsticks while Kyoko offered to make an omamori in case it was a spirit sabotaging the set. It seemed unlikely, but maybe it was just a very particular ghost. "It might have been a camera operator before it passed, and is now bitter that they can't do it anymore - oh, or they might be trying to help, and just aren't used to modern equipment! Or maybe they're just not used to being a ghost yet, so they're not able to manipulate physical objects properly!"

"Kyoko, I really don't think it's a ghost. I think someone just sucks at their job," Kanae sighed.

"But if it is…!"

"Yes, yes, I'll keep an eye out for anything paranormal and let you know immediately. And keep the numerous charms you've given me with me." _Even if I have to hide them in my bag so people don't ask weird questions._ She cut a glance at Ren and was pleased to see jealousy in his eyes. "They really are cute, especially that first one you gave me. And powerful."

"Moko!" Kyoko squealed, her face going pink. _Moko thinks I'm cute! My best friend thinks the charm of me is cute!_

"Sit. Eat. No hugging across the table." When Kyoko looked up at her, pouty-eyed, she rolled her eyes and sighed. "Oh, fine." She stood, walked around the table, and gave Kyoko a brief hug. Kyoko clamped her arms around Kanae's waist, almost passing out from the uncharacteristic affection. She completely missed the look that passed between her two favorite people.

Kuon lowered his eyes to Kyoko's back. _When has she ever been that excited to hug me? Is there another reason that she wants to keep hiding our relationship from everyone? Is she getting tired of me?_ He shook his head. He wouldn't let himself doubt her like that. _This is her best friend; she's always been like this with her. It's a good thing that they're so close, that she has someone else to make her that happy._ He glanced up and caught the gleam in Kanae's eyes. _That doesn't mean I'm not going to be jealous._

"Okay, seriously, your omurice has got to be cold by now." Kanae pried Kyoko's arms off of her.

"But Moko! You never hug me! I need to savor this!"

 _Ah,_ thought Kuon. _Maybe her enthusiasm is built up from how little she hugs her back._

"Savor your food instead and let me sit down." That got Kyoko to release her.

"So did you want me to make an omamori?" she asked, taking a bite of her food. She elbowed Kuon and gave his plate a pointed look. He grinned at her but obeyed.

"Not yet. I still have the other charms."

**vVvVvVvVvVvVvVv**

A little under an hour later, Kanae was washing dishes while Ren dried and put them away. As Kanae had not cooked, it was her turn to do dishes (per the rules she and Kyoko had laid out when moving in together), no matter how much Kyoko protested that Kanae hadn't eaten with them, so she shouldn't do the dishes. And Kuon, trying desperately to hang onto his gentlemanly facade of Ren, had insisted that a guest should not be doing dishes. So Kyoko had been gently banished to go finish her homework and study her scripts, leaving the two of them to talk while they worked. What had started as casual conversation about Kyoko had soon evolved into a competition. One that pretended to be subtle, sure, but the only person it would have fooled was currently studying for a history test.

"She really is something," Kanae had started, scrubbing the omurice pan.

"She is," Kuon had echoed. It was always hard to keep his Ren persona up when Kyoko was concerned, doubly so when she was here in his apartment.

"Sometimes I wonder if there's anything she can't do, if she tries." She used her nail to scratch at a particularly stubborn piece of egg. "It's scary sometimes."

"I know what you mean," he agreed. "She learned to walk like a model quite literally overnight - and then still had time to make a setting for Princess Rosa before leaving for work."

"Not to mention she knows how to do Katsuramuki. It's crazy impressive. Have you seen her perform it?" She glanced over at him and was pleased to catch him looking frustrated for a fraction of a second before he fixed his face.

"No, I haven't had the honor. I take it you have?"

"It was part of her audition for LME. I was seated right next to her." _And would have laughed at anyone who told me she'd be my best friend within the month._ "She's still embarrassed that it came out as more of a cabbage than a rose."

He chuckled. "Sounds about right."

 _Okay, that's a fair response for anyone who knows her._ "Yeah. She'll do anything over and over until she gets it right."

 _Please don't know where that makes my mind go._ "Her dedication is incredible, if sometimes a little concerning. She pushes herself too hard."

"She's scared." She rinsed off the pan and set it in the drying rack. "She's scared that if she's not good enough, everyone's going to leave her. So she tries to be 'enough.'"

He sighed as he toweled off the pan. "I know. I just wish I knew how to convince her she's more than enough just by being her."

 _Well, at least he's aware._ "Mmm." _But it's not like I know how to do that, either._ Not that she would say that.

"At least she has us, and people like Amamiya-san and Maria-chan?" he offered. _I need to remember that Kotonami-san and I are allies when it comes to Kyoko's confidence… even if we're rivals for her attention._

She didn't answer for a moment, pretending to focus all of her energy on cleaning a plate. After a moment, she said, "She does enjoy our girls' nights."

"Yes, I've heard a bit about those." _A bit_ was an understatement. Kyoko gushed endlessly about her weekly girls' night with Kanae and (often) Chiori. "This week's one is supposed to be the day after tomorrow, right?"

She passed him the now-clean plate. "Yeah."

"You two are welcome to hold it here, if you want to." He then forced himself to say, "I can make myself scarce."

 _You don't mean that_. "I'm surprised. I thought you'd want to lurk around, seeing the faces Kyoko makes when I do her nails."

 _Fine, two can play at this game_. "I think I'd prefer the ones she makes when we find a 'fairy spot' in the park."

"What about the way she lights up when she finds the perfect material for one of her crafting projects?" _Even if most of those revolve around making really creepy miniatures of you._

"I think that the faces she makes when she's creating a character are the best ones." _That ah-ha moment is great, but the way her face changes while she's thinking…._

"Does she ever use that pout on you to get her way?" _I bet she doesn't have to._

"No, I can't say she's used it on me." _Lord only knows I wouldn't be able to resist if she did - not that I can, anyway._

 _I knew it._ "It's better than my siblings', let me tell you." She handed him the last plate.

"I can imagine so." He took it and dried it, then put it away.

"I'm just glad she didn't put that expression on the first charm she gave me." Kanae let the water out of the sink and walked over to the fridge to dry her hands on the hand towel.

"The what?"

She hid a smirk. "The first charm she made me was shaped like her in her LoveME uniform. It's got this insane aura to it."

Kuon was writhing with jealousy. "I see." _I want a Kyoko doll. Kotonami-san said it was a charm… maybe I could ask Kyoko to make me one for when I don't have my real good luck charm nearby._

Kanae flipped her hair over her shoulder, satisfied, and went to quiz Kyoko for her upcoming test.

**Thoughts? :D**


	4. Family

**Chapter four's "family" is here for your enjoyment -- I own** **nothing!**

“I’m home!” Kuon called, stepping into the apartment. 

“Hi,” echoed from the kitchen, but not from the voice he wanted to hear. 

He switched his shoes for his house slippers. “Good evening, Kotonami-san.”

_ Good, he’s disappointed,  _ Kanae thought, glancing at him. She turned back to the pot she was stirring. “She went to grab some more leeks for dinner. She just texted me that she’s leaving the store now, so she’ll be back in five.” 

“Ah, thank you.” He fidgeted. If she would be back in five minutes, that meant that he couldn’t go get her. Would she be okay? At least it was still light out. Did he have enough time to change? Should he go down and meet her at the door?

_ Mo, how the hell is this guy the top actor when he’s this easy to read? _ “Are you just going to stand there?”

“Yeah -- I mean, no. I’m going to go get changed.” He spun on his heel and hurried out of the room.  _ If I’m fast, I can be ready before Kyoko gets home. _ He shook his head as he shut his door behind him.  _ No, I can’t start thinking of my apartment as her home. We’re not a family yet. If I think that way, I’m going to get even more hurt when this week ends. _ Pushing these thoughts out of his head, Kuon changed into his at-home clothes and trotted back out to see what could be done.

“I’m home!” Kyoko called out, balancing on one foot to take off her shoes. She slipped her feet into her slippers, noting happily that Kuon was already home. 

“Welcome home,” he said, walking up to her, a soft smile on his face. One of his arms slipped around her waist, tugging her towards him, while the other came to cup her face. “Did you have a good day?”

Before Kyoko could respond with more than a bright smile, Kanae’s voice cut through the moment. “Mo, Kyoko, if you’ve got the leeks will you bring them in here? I want to get dinner finished already, especially since you said you wanted to do a movie night.”

“Movie night?” Kuon asked, nicking the bag of leeks from Kyoko as they walked to the kitchen. 

“Yup! I was thinking that it could be fun, since we’re all home at a decent time tonight. Is that okay?” She looked up at him, worried about imposing. 

“Fine by me, princess.” He ruffled her hair the way Cain liked to as he set the leeks on the island counter.

“Corn!” she whined, trying to pat down her hair. Kanae rolled her eyes. 

“Welcome home, by the way,” Kanae said. “How was the store?”

“Not too busy, and the leeks were on sale!” Kyoko announced proudly. 

“Nice,” she said, and nodded sharply. “Wash and cut them, then. We just need them to cook and then we’ll be done.”

“Yes!” She hurried to do so. 

Kuon stood there awkwardly for a moment before deciding to set the table, as he was the only one who could reach the plates.  _ Maybe I should move some of these down where Kyoko can reach them, for when I’m not home. I don’t want her climbing on a chair and boxes again, especially when I’m not here to catch her.  _ Perhaps he would do that while they had their girls’ night tomorrow. 

**vVvVvVvVvVvVvVv**

Once dinner was eaten and the dishes were washed, the three selected a movie. Rather, Kyoko suggested a movie and the other two agreed. Despite just having eaten dinner, Kyoko decided that she wanted popcorn, so she went to make some. Thus began another stand-off between her two favorite people as they tried to decide where to sit. As far as seating went, Ren’s living room currently had one long couch, a love seat, and his floor table. Ren, trying to avoid irritating his girlfriend’s best friend more than necessary, sat down at the floor table, where all three of them could sit (albeit less comfortably, and without cuddles). Kanae, for the sake of competition and being comfortable, plopped down on the loveseat. 

Kyoko re-entered the room soon after, bearing a large bowl of popcorn and giggling to herself about the name of the snack. “It’s ready!”

“Thanks, come sit.” Kanae patted the cushion next to her, and was surprised when Kyoko hesitated.  _ Crap. _

“Um…” her eyes flicked between the two of them, her grudges and angels still trying to figure out their weird rivalry. “I’m sorry to make you both move, because you both seem really comfortable, and I know this is kind of silly, but, could we maybe -- could we maybe all sit on the couch? That way we can all reach the popcorn, even though I know I’m going to eat most of it.” Her cheeks flared as she added in a rush, “And-I-want-to-sit-between-my-two-favorite-people.”

Kuon scrambled to his feet so fast that it was almost embarrassing.  _ I count as one of her favorite people! _ warred with  _ She didn’t pick her best friend over me! _ for what was making him happiest at the moment. He sat down on the cushion farthest from the television and beamed when Kyoko joined him. 

“Mo, fine. But you had better not let me eat too much popcorn.” Kanae got to her feet at a much more normal pace and sat down on Kyoko’s other side. That hadn’t worked out as expected, but what was most interesting was how Tsuruga-san’s gentlemanly mask was just  _ gone _ in that moment. He’d almost looked like an excited puppy. She shuddered. That was just too weird of a disconnect. Was he always like this around Kyoko?  _ Well, at least he’s being real with her. Even if he’s not nearly as mature as he pretends to be. But I guess I knew that already, considering how jealous he got over her before they were dating.  _

Kyoko was, as ever, oblivious to her effect on her two favorite people. She started the movie (Disney’s  _ Tangled _ ) and happily munched on the popcorn until it was time to sing along. A part of her wondered if this was what having a family movie night was like. The Fuwa ryokan hadn’t had a television until they were in middle school, and by then Sho considered himself too cool to hang out with his parents, so she had never experienced one. She would have asked, but she knew that Kanae’s family didn’t have a video player -- and Kuon’s family was currently a secret. For now, she was just going to enjoy the movie with part of her found family and not stop Kanae from eating what she considered “too much” popcorn.

Kuon could not, for the life of him, focus on the movie. Kyoko was just too cute like this. Her eyes sparkled when she sang along to the songs, a testament to how many times she had seen this movie (which he had in his DVD library specifically for her). Yet despite her many viewings, she still gasped in all the right places. She laughed aloud at Pascal’s antics and cried when Eugene died. Kuon, prepared for this, passed her a box of tissues. She accepted them with blubbering thanks. When the movie ended, she applauded and sang along to the ending credits’ song. 

When Kanae finally turned off the movie, Kyoko flopped back against the couch with a happy sigh. “That movie is so good!”

_ And weirdly similar to your life _ , Kanae thought. “It’s decent for a princess movie.”

Kyoko’s mind immediately filled with thoughts of Moko as a Disney princess. “Moko, you’d make a wonderful Rapunzel! Or Mulan! Or --” Her phone rang, making her vibrate wildly and cutting off her fantastical musings. “Oh! It’s Father. Excuse me, I’ll go talk in the guest room.” They both nodded their understanding and she hopped off the couch, answering her phone as she walked. “Good evening, Father!”

Kanae gave a wry laugh, misinterpreting Kuon’s sudden stillness. “So that’s two father figures you’ll have to ask for her hand. I’m not sure which is scarier -- him, or taisho.”

“Definitely taisho,” Kuon responded, standing up to go wash up the popcorn dishes. “He’s nearby, with knives.”  _ And Dad keeps asking me when I’m going to make her his daughter for real. _

Kanae nodded. A knife to the face could end an actor’s career even more effectively than a word from  _ the _ Hizuri Kuu.  _ Though I doubt that taisho would aim there, if he thought Tsuruga was a danger to Kyoko. _

Kyoko walked back into the living room, her hand cupped over the phone. “Father wants to talk to you, Ren.”

He set down the dishes and took the phone. “Hello, Hizuri-san, this is Tsuruga Ren.”

Kuu’s voice blared through the phone. “ _ What exactly do you think you’re doing with my unmarried daughter, young man? _ ”

Kanae and Kyoko both laughed, but for entirely different reasons. 

“Sir, I assure you that I am just giving her and her roommate a place to stay while their apartment building is being fumigated.” Yeah, his dad was definitely pretending not to know him. He nodded to his room, indicating that he was going to go talk to Kuu in there. Kanae seemed less than pleased with this, wanting to see Tsuruga sweat, but Kyoko nodded with a smile. She plopped back down on the couch with Kanae and started braiding her best friend’s hair. 

Kuon shut the door to his room behind him and walked to the far wall, Kuu lecturing ‘Tsuruga Ren’ all the while. “Dad,” he interrupted, voice low, “I can talk now.”

“Son!” Kuu’s voice changed completely. “I’m so glad that Kyoko-chan is staying with you this week. Pity her friend had to come, too.”

Kuon rolled his eyes. “Kyoko asked me to let her stay, too. Apparently her extended family is in from out of town and she would’ve had to bunk with toddlers.”

“And you can’t deny Kyoko-chan anything,” Kuu chuckled. “You get that from me.”

“I know.” He rolled his eyes again, and heard an echo of his mother’s voice telling him that they’d get stuck if he kept doing that. “It’s been nice, even with Kotonami-san here.”

“Do you two not get along?” Kuu raised his eyebrows. Not getting along with your partner’s best friend was never good.

“It’s more that we’re both really jealous people who want all of Kyoko’s attention for ourselves.” He leaned his head back against the wall. “And I think she’s testing me, too.”

Kuu chuckled. “A trial by fire, eh? What’s gone on?”

Kuon explained the various petty competitions the two had had, including the earlier seating debacle. “And Kyoko, of course, has absolutely no clue that this is happening.”

“Hmm, so this is the famous ‘Moko-san,’ right?” he asked thoughtfully. 

“Yeah, but I think only Kyoko and Maria are allowed to call her that.”  _ I’m pretty sure I would get shanked if I did. _

“From what I’ve heard from Kyoko, that girl’s pretty icy -- doesn’t like outright telling people that she cares. Another testament to my little girl’s amazingness that she melted that ice queen’s heart.” 

“Icy is a pretty good description, yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I mean, I appreciate how protective she is of Kyoko, but -- yeah.”

“So, if you want to win one of these petty challenges, all you have to do is to shower Kyoko-chan in compliments. Make sure they’re true, of course, but that’s not hard to do. And she deserves all the compliments in the world!” 

Kuon could imagine the grand hand gestures his father was making. “That’s true.”  _ Somehow she doesn’t realize how incredible she is. _

“So go forth and compliment my future daughter-in-law!” Kuu proclaimed. “And make sure to look properly scolded. And keep in mind the real scolding you’ll get if you try anything.”

“Yes, Dad,” Kuon said. “Alright, I’ll let you know how it goes. I love you.”

“I love you, too!” Kuu all but squealed. “Bye, son.”

“Bye.” He ended the call and tried to pull his Ren mask back into place. It was always hard to do after talking with his dad --  _ especially _ when they talked about Kyoko.  _ But _ , he thought with a smile,  _ at least he’s happy about having Kyoko join our family officially someday.  _

When he walked back out and handed Kyoko her phone, it was with a properly terrified face -- at least as far as Kanae saw. Kyoko saw through it and to his eyes sparkling with mirth and… was that mischief? She stared at him, concern obvious on her face.  _ What are he and Father planning? _

“I’m okay,” he assured her, giving her a wink when Kanae’s back was turned. 

Kyoko squinted up at him suspiciously. That type of wink usually meant that he was planning something embarrassing or expensive. And given that his family was involved… she shuddered.  _ I really hope that Father doesn’t actually mind that I’m staying here for the week. Is he planning some sort of punishment? No, that doesn’t sound like him… but what if he punishes like Cain, with cat ears? _

Her spiral of increasingly unlikely thoughts was interrupted by Kanae snapping her fingers in front of her face. “Mo, Kyoko!”

“Ah! Sorry, Moko! What did you say?” 

“We need to get ready for bed. You’ve got school in the morning and I’ve got a shoot. So come on.” She pointed towards the guest room, waiting for Kyoko to lead the way. 

“Right!” Kyoko turned and tugged gently on Kuon’s shoulder. She kissed his cheek. “Sleep well, Corn.”

He smiled. A kiss on the cheek was a big deal, especially in front of her friend. “Sweet dreams, princess.” His gaze followed her until she vanished into the guest room. _One day, we can be a real family,_ he thought. Until that day came, he would enjoy what he could.

** What do you think? **


	5. Hands

***hands you the "hands" chapter* I own nothing!**

“Thank you for the ride!” Kyoko piped, popping into the back seat of Yashiro’s car. Ren slid in next to her. Sitting next to her was worth cramped legs and his manager’s teasing. 

“Of course, Kyoko-chan,” Yashiro replied. “After all, you’re going to the same place. That makes it much easier on me.”

_ Real subtle, _ Ren thought as they buckled their seatbelts. He shrugged at Kyoko and placed his hand, palm up, on the seat between them. Kyoko glanced at Yashiro, who was now focusing on the road, before resting her hand in his and lacing her fingers through his. This was safe; this was one of the things they could do outside of either of their apartments. Yashiro knew they were together (and his squealing had been insufferable when they told him). Plus, the car windows were tinted, keeping them safe from prying eyes. 

Kyoko gazed wistfully at their joined hands.  _ When will I be in a place where we can do this in public? When will we be able to stand side by side holding hands and not have people see it as him pulling me up -- or worse, me dragging him down?  _

As if he read her mind, Kuon tugged their hands to his face and brushed his lips over her knuckles. In reality, he had read her facial expressions and wanted to offer reassurance. And, as he opened his mouth, he offered a distraction. “What do you and Kotonami-san have planned for your girls’ night tonight?”

Kyoko’s face lit up. “I’m not sure! Moko said she would be planning this one. I’m so excited! My best friend is planning the girls’ night for us! She never does this all on her own, we usually do it together. But she said that she wanted to surprise me.” Her smile was so bright that Kuon almost had to look away -- but then it fell. “Ren?” she asked, her voice suddenly worried.

“What’s wrong, princess?” he gave her hand a squeeze. 

“What are you going to do tonight, if Moko and I are having a girls’ night? We’re being bad guests, I’m sorry.” She looked so dejected that it took everything in him not to pull her into his arms.

Instead, he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “No worries. I was planning on doing a bit of organizing tonight. Maybe make the kitchen a bit easier for you to navigate.”

“If that’s the case, I should--!”

He placed a finger of his free hand over her lips. “You should enjoy your girls’ night with Kotonami-san. I can keep myself entertained.”

In the front seat, Yashiro was grinning and blushing. He still hadn’t gotten used to how these two interacted as a couple. It was so strange to hear (and see, when he could afford to glance at the back seat) Ren being so open. When he was with Kyoko-chan, he actually looked his age, maybe even younger. It was a far cry from how he had been when Yashiro first met him. That mature, collected persona was nowhere in sight during these car rides. It was as if Ren could hold onto that persona or hold Kyoko’s hand -- and he chose her hand every time. Yashiro wondered if the couple noticed that he took the long way to their homes when he could. Tonight, he took the most direct route, since he knew that parking the car wouldn’t mean the end of their time together. He pulled into the parking garage. “Alright, kiddos, you’re home. Have fun tonight.”

“Thank you for the ride,” his charges chorused. Ren added, “Have a safe drive home.”

He waited until the pair entered the building before driving away. Something told him that this week was a good indication of their future. He suppressed a squeal at the thought.

**vVvVvVvVvVvVvVv**

It was official: Kuon hated organizing the kitchen. Organizing in general was fine; organizing the kitchen may be part of his own personal hell. Part of the problem was that, despite Kyoko’s excellent lessons, he still had no clue what half of the items were. Stupid, overly-stocked, expensive apartment kitchens. How was he supposed to organize this in a way that would make it easier for Kyoko to use if he didn’t know what these things were? He had resorted to reverse-image searching to find out what things were. Because he would not be interrupting girls’ night. Not even if girls’ night was taking place in his living room and he could hear Kyoko’s happy little cries from here. He really did want to know what kind of face Kyoko made when Kotonami-san did her nails. If it was anything like the face she made when describing the process, it was sure to be adorable. He would just stick his head around the door frame and take a look -- no. That wouldn’t work. If Kyoko saw him, he would have to come up with an excuse for spying on them, and then he would have to interrupt something that made her so happy because he didn’t know what kitchen utensil was which. If Kotonami-san saw him -- well, it probably wouldn’t be too bad, but it might still interrupt their activities. He let out a heavy sigh and went back to his reverse-image searching.

Kanae, for her part, was both impressed and appalled by just how many beauty products this man had bought for her best friend. She had arrived before either of them, so she had snooped around the bathroom to see what they could use and what she would have to buy. As it transpired, she did not have to buy anything. There were enough supplies for a year’s worth of girls’ nights -- all in fancy, princess-y brands that made Kyoko squeal with delight. There were even fairy-themed nail decals and face masks patterned with flowers.  _ What did he do, go online shopping when he was drunk? _ (No, he wasn’t drunk, but he did have Julie on the phone with him, texting him suggestions and egging him on. Which was probably worse for his wallet and better for Kyoko’s girls’ night.)

Kyoko was in heaven. “My best friend is painting my nails, painting my nails, and we’re flowers,” she sang under her breath. She had to keep very, very still, or else she might mess up Moko’s hard work, so soft singing was the only way to express her overwhelming joy. She also didn’t want to mess up the flower face masks. They were straight out of  _ Fantasia _ or  _ Alice in Wonderland _ ! Moko looked like a perfect flower fairy!

“Mo, there.” She had finally managed to get the tiny fairy decals affixed properly to Kyoko’s nails. When Kyoko went to leap on her, she placed a hand gently on her friend’s forehead and pushed her back onto her cushion. “Let them dry before you hug me.”

“So I get to hug you when they’re dry!” Kyoko exclaimed, feeling like she might pass out from happiness. To prevent this, Kanae switched the conversation back to work.

In the kitchen, Kuon was fighting with the pots and pans. He needed them to nestle properly, but all they wanted to do was clang. And clanging was not ideal at the moment. He needed to stay quiet so as to not interrupt girls’ night. He gripped the handle of a pan as he piled others into it, only to have them all slip from his hands and crash to the floor. He heard a yelp from the other room, followed by rushing footsteps. “Corn! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, princess, sorry for startling you.” He picked up the pans. “These slipped when I was reorganizing.”

She blinked at him, her fingers spread far apart so as to not muss her nail polish. “Reorganizing?”

“I wanted to make it easier for you to reach stuff,” he said sheepishly. “Kind of late in the week to do it, but….” He gestured vaguely at the cupboards, and she got his point.

“That’s really sweet, but be careful, okay?” Her eyes also flicked to the cupboards, then down to the pots in his hands. His large, warm, beautiful hands. She shook her head. _Focus, Kyoko._ _Girls’ night is not the time to pout over the lack of cuddles this week._ At that moment, Kanae appeared in the doorway, irritation written all over her face.

“I will. Sorry for the interruption. Your nails are beautiful, by the way.”  _ I’ll have to tell Mom that she was right about the decals. Finicky but worth it. _

She blushed, and opened her mouth to push his compliment onto Moko’s skill, when Kanae cut her off. “All of her is beautiful. Now, if you don’t mind, we have a girls’ night to get back to.” Sure, this was more affectionate than she was really comfortable with, but she was pissed about the interruption -- and about the fact that the guy had imposed his presence in the beauty products. 

Kyoko spun to face her, eyes wide under her flowery face mask.  _ Moko called me beautiful! _

“Indeed. You really are a fairy princess, Kyoko.” No way would he miss an opportunity like this. It was too perfect -- and right after Dad had suggested it, too. Kyoko whirled back to look at him, her pink cheeks visible even through her face mask.

“Duh,” Kanae snapped back. “As if I’d have anyone less than absolutely freaking magical as  _ my _ best friend and rival.”

Neither Kuon nor Kyoko missed the possessiveness in her voice, but only Kyoko was happy about it. She turned back around and would have thrown herself at Moko if her nails had not still been wet. 

“You know,” he said slowly, drawing Kyoko’s attention back onto him, “maybe princess isn’t quite right. How about queen of my heart, light of my life?” The once-white petals on Kyoko’s face were now a vivid pink. “You know I’d be lost without you.”

“And I never would’ve gotten my career off the ground without you,” Kanae grumbled, her cheeks also glowing through her face mask. When Kyoko turned back to her, confusion written all over her face, she said, “Mo! Who was the one who made me actually fight Koenji, instead of just lying down and taking it?”

“Probably the same girl who made it possible for me to play Katsuki.”  _ And BJ _ , he added silently.

Kyoko sank to the floor, dizzier from the outrageous affection than from her spinning. She pressed her hands to the cool floor, fingers still spread wide to preserve her nails. Kanae knelt down next to her; Kuon sat down on her other side. They weren’t done.

“And the person who single-handedly saved my reputation during the whole thing with Hio-kun.” She’d seen that episode of  _ Yappa Kimagure Rock _ . Bo was very careful about protecting Kanae’s name -- and Kyoko had really helped during the aftermath at her house. 

Kyoko shivered, too overwhelmed to protest any of this. Kuon put his arm around her and whispered, just for her to hear, “And the one who kept me sane during my darkest times.” Louder, as his hand trailed down her arm, he added, “My omamori.”

Kyoko whimpered and buried her face in her hands. Seconds later, she gasped in pain; the face mask had shifted and gotten in her eye. “Ow!”

“Hold still, I’ll get it.” Kanae reached over and peeled it off. “Okay, go flush your eyes with water. And before you start apologizing, it was almost time to take them off anyway, and there’s like two dozen more in the bathroom.”

Kuon helped Kyoko up and she hurried over to the sink. When she was done, she looked down at her nails and was relieved to see that they had survived.  _ Thank the gods for quick-dry nail polish. _ She wasn’t quite ready to process all the love her two favorite people had just heaped on her. On some level, she had known how they felt about her, and there was  _ some _ truth to at least the second half of what they had said… but it was still hard to wrap her head around. 

“Are you okay?” Kuon stepped up behind her, one of his large hands resting on her shoulder. 

She turned and beamed at him, trying her best not to turn to mush from the conversation (if you could call it that) the three of them had had. “Yes! Thank you both. My eye’s okay now, and my nails even survived!” She held up her hands for their inspection. Kanae gave a sharp nod and returned to the living room, waving for Kyoko to join her. 

Kuon captured both her hands in his own under the guise of properly inspecting her nails. He loved the subtle calluses on her hands from years of wielding knives. Reverently, he pressed a kiss to each of her fingertips, making her ears burn. “Beautiful,” he whispered. 

Kyoko gave him a shy smile as she slid her hands out of his. “Save that for tomorrow, mister.” Without another word, she slipped back out to the living room to resume girls’ night.

_Right,_ Kuon thought, his hand coming up to his face out of reflex to hide his wide smile, _tomorrow’s date night._ And so, with the sounds of Kyoko doing Kanae’s nails in the background, he returned to the arduous task of organizing the kitchen.

** I hope you enjoyed! **


	6. Kiss

**Here we go with "kiss" on day six!**

Ren took the bouquet gratefully from the security guard. He really couldn't walk into a flower shop as himself - but he also couldn't miss a chance to give Kyoko flowers. She seemed to have some sort of aversion to him spending money on her. The things in the bathroom were apparently exempt, as her best friend also benefited from them. But flowers - flowers were okay. Flowers were relatively cheap and attracted fairies. Plus, when they got too old, she would dry them and make things from them. As he got in the elevator, he made a mental note to ask her where she learned to make jewelry. She had shocked more than one interviewer with the news that her gorgeous jewelry was handmade.

He opened the door and opened his mouth to call out his usual greeting, but the words never made it out. Kyoko had heard his key in the door and hurried over to it, making it there just as it opened. The way his eyes lit up when he saw her bolstered her confidence. She grabbed him by the lapels of his shirt and tugged him down for a kiss.

Kuon had no idea what was going on, but Kyoko was kissing him, so he wasn't going to question it. The hand holding the bouquet found its place on her back, pressing her to him, as the other fumbled to close and lock the door. It was only when he stumbled trying to take off his shoes that she released him. He stared down at her, dazed. "Hi."

"Welcome home," she replied, her face a vivid pink. She glanced down at her hands, then back up at him. "Moko's got her other job tonight, so she won't be back until ten. She's got a safe way home, so… it's just us for date night." She fidgeted, but forced herself to say, "I've - I've missed being able to be close to you this week. It was weird being here but not being able to cuddle, or kiss, or anything because we had company. Which isn't to say I'm not grateful that you took both of us in! I am! I just… missed you."

"I missed you, too, princess," he said hoarsely. _So it wasn't just me. And it looks like she stores up her affection and enthusiasm for everyone, not just her best friend._ "A lot."

"I - I should let you get your shoes off." She slipped out of his one-armed embrace and finally noticed the flowers he held. "Oh!"

"They're cornflowers." He handed them to her, relieved that they weren't smushed, as he swapped his shoes for house slippers. "I thought you'd appreciate the name. I didn't know that they came in colors other than blue."

"They're beautiful," she gushed, her mind already swirling with ideas for how to use them. The blue ones were almost the same color as her Corn stone. Maybe she could use the petals to make some sort of enamel fairy? Or maybe she could cast a whole flower in resin for a charm. "Thank you so much, Kuon."

The smile on her face was all the reward he needed. "Of course, princess. Now, what do you want to do tonight?"

She shyly offered him her hand, which he took, and she led him to the couch. "I know that we were talking about going out in disguise this week, but…"

"But…?" he asked, a smile on his face. He sat down, and his grin grew wider when she placed the bouquet on the table and tucked herself into his side.

"But I want you all to myself for a bit." He could feel the heat of her cheeks through his shirt.

 _If that hasn't been my thought process all damn week…._ "I am so good with that." He looped his arms around her, pulling her properly onto his lap, and buried his face in her hair. He alternated between blowing raspberries and peppering her with kisses, sending her into a fit of giggles.

"Kuon!" She twisted around to face him, bringing her hands up to stop him. He pressed a kiss to her palm - and then licked it. "Eww," she laughed, wiping it on his shirt. "What's gotten into you?"

"Maybe that my adorable girlfriend is showing her possessive side a bit? And is letting me hold her the way I've been craving?" His arms tightened around her.

She pouted at him. "Well, it's not like I haven't been wanting to cuddle, too! But it's not proper with Moko here."

"So now we have until ten." He leaned forward and kissed her, letting all of the pent-up longing and jealousy from the week flow into it. She responded in kind, scraping her teeth across his bottom lip in a way that made his fingers dig into her back.

She pulled back with a gasp. "The flowers!"

"Wha...?" he mumbled, eyes half-open. _I swear I could get drunk on her kisses._

"The cornflowers! I need to put them in water." She trailed her fingers, which as always had been twined in his hair, down the side of his face. "I don't want them to wilt. And then how about we do dinner?"

A soft smile graced his lips. "True, we don't want the tummy monster to interrupt us later."

She puffed out her cheeks in mock-irritation and hopped off of his lap to go find a vase. A few moments of rustling later, she reappeared in the doorway. "Kuon, I have some questions."

"Yeah?" He stood, his head clear once more. "What's up?"

"One: Where did you put the vases?"

"Second cupboard, I think." He followed her into the kitchen and fetched one the right size. "You had other questions?"

She took it and filled it with enough water for the flowers. "Why are there six potato peelers sitting out on the counter?"

"Because I forgot to put them away." _Wait, did I ever decide where they go?_

"Why do you have six potato peelers?" She set the vase on the counter and carefully arranged the flowers.

"I genuinely have no idea." He opened a drawer and tucked them in alongside some vaguely similar tools.

"Last question: What sounds good for dinner?" She grinned up at him. _Why do those go in with the egg beater?_

 _Don't say her_. "How about something simple, like miso and tamagoyaki?"

"Sounds perfect! Will you get out the tools and pans, please?" She gestured to the cupboards. "I don't know where they are."

 _Crap. I didn't think about that when I was trying to reorganize._ "Right, sorry." He dropped a kiss on her hair and started rummaging around for the required items.

She waved her hand, indicating that there was no need to apologize. "Are you okay with sweet, or do you want me to make some salty tamagoyaki?"

"I think I'd prefer salty. The only sweet thing I ever really want is you." The line rolled off of his tongue before he could think.

Kyoko's ears went pink. "That was corny."

He shrugged as best he could while setting the tools they'd need on the kitchen island. "What did you expect from me? I'm Corn."

She took advantage of the moment he bent over to grab a spatula, dropping a kiss in his hair in the way he so loved to do to her. She managed to not get a mouthful of hair. "And I'm never going to stop being thankful for that."

He almost dropped the spatula. It still threw him when she showed affection - even after all the kisses they had shared, even after the ones from earlier this same evening, something as simple as her kissing his head… it was overwhelming. All of her was overwhelming, and he loved it.

Cooking with Kuon had quickly become one of Kyoko's favorite ways to make food (right up there with cooking with taisho or Moko). Not because he was particularly skilled - gods, no - but because they worked so well together. They danced around each other, and Kuon seemed to have made it his personal goal to kiss her as many times as he could when they cooked. Her hair, her cheeks, her neck, her lips - all were fair game. Her hands were usually off-limits, as they too often held knives. Yet despite this distracting game, he was helpful. Once he had gotten the hang of basic skills, cooking with him was faster than cooking alone. Not to mention, more musical.

"Sha-la-la-la, my oh my, looks like the boy's too shy," he sang, stirring the miso.

"He's gonna miss the girl," Kyoko sang along.

"Nope!" He swooped in and stole a kiss, leaving Kyoko giggling.

A few Disney songs later, dinner was done, and the two sat down at the floor table to eat. Kuon had brought out the flowers to decorate the table, and Kyoko gazed at them dreamily. "They're so pretty."

"Perfectly suiting my princess." He set down their bowls of miso. _She's too cute_ , he thought, watching her cheeks turn pink. And, because he didn't have to hide his feelings, he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"You're extra affectionate tonight, Kuon," she teased. "Something you're not telling me?"

He chuckled and clapped his hands together; they gave their thanks for the food before he answered. "Maybe I'm just enjoying having all of your attention for the evening, since my competition is at work."

Kyoko's mouth dropped open. "You mean that you and Moko are rivals over _me?_ "

He nodded, pleasantly surprised that she hadn't denied it. "Have been since the first Happy Grateful party, actually."

 _We told you so!_ screamed her grudges and angels.

"But there's - there no reason for that," she said blankly. "You two are really important to me, just in different ways. I need you both."

"I know." He gave her a wry smile. "And this whole rivalry is absolutely just Kotonami-san and me being petty, jealous children who are coming around to the idea of sharing you."

"We're all celebrities. We should be used to sharing.." She took a bite of her tamagoyaki. "Ooh, these came out well!"

"The key word here being _should_." He caught her free hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "I'm working on my jealousy, and I think she is too. You're more important than any petty competition she and I might have."

"I never noticed until now," she murmured. "Have I… have I made things worse between you? Did I keep you from being friends?"

"Of course not, princess." His lips brushed against her knuckles as he spoke, as he was still holding her hand to them. "Honestly, I don't think she and I would know each other if not for you. You bring people together, Kyoko, and you bring out the best in us. Like you've done with me, with Kotonami-san, with Maria-chan - and, if what I've heard is accurate, with Amamiya-san as well. And probably countless others." He reached out and stroked her cheek with his free hand; she leaned into it.

"Corn…" she whispered, her hand coming up to hold his to her face. She didn't know what else to say, how to respond to any of this. How could she form words when faced with the pure emotion in his eyes? But there was still that concern in his eyes, hiding - or at least trying to hide. "About - living together."

"Yeah?" _Have I been pushing that too much?_

"I think, maybe… Well, Moko and I have another six months on our lease, but then…." She released his hand, but he did not move it, instead leaving it where it was. Her face burned under her hand. "Maybe? I don't know - because this is like, the only time I get to live with my best friend, but when we get married, I'll get to live with you forever, but I -" Her eyes went wide and she clapped a hand over her mouth. _I said when, not if. Oh gods, what is he thinking?_

 _When. She said_ when _we get married. She said forever. And she was saying maybe, when her lease is up, maybe she'll move in. But she said_ forever _, she wants forever._ Those thoughts running through his mind, he surged forward and kissed her with all the joy he felt. Their tamagoyaki and miso both grew cold before they remembered they had been eating dinner.

**What do you think?**


	7. Risk

**Last day is “risk” -- enjoy!**

The end of the week came too quickly for Kuon, too slowly for Kanae, and both for Kyoko. Before they knew it, it was the last night before the girls could move back into their apartment. Kuon was doing his best not to pout externally. He had always known that this would end after just a week -- and Kyoko had suggested that once her lease with Kanae was up, she might be able to move in with him. Which, admittedly, was risky. Very few people knew they were together: Kotonami-san (because Kyoko could keep nothing from her), Yashiro-san (for ease of date night arrangements), his parents (because she had been the one who gave him the strength to call them), Amamiya-san (because she overheard a phone call that could not be denied), and the taisho and okami-san of Darumaya (because they were basically her parents). Lory did not know, a feat achieved by Julie restraining Kuu from telling him (because “the kidnapper” deserved to suffer a bit). Kyoko was trying to figure out the best way to tell Maria-chan without Lory finding out, but so far had no ideas. So, them living together would be risky, because Lory would find out.

But even riskier was the threat of the press. He knew that there were some paparazzi that skulked around his building, hoping for a news story. They had even caught a picture of Kyoko once, but she had fortunately been disguised enough to not be recognized. But there had been a few close calls -- including the one that led to her having to move out of the Darumaya. He had thought taisho was going to carve him up for stir-fry when he arrived to help Kyoko move her things. He was sure the only reason he survived was Kyoko’s explanation that she would be moving in with Moko, not him. But if she did move in, then they would be at a much higher risk of being caught… and that would not be good for her career. No matter how fantastically she was doing in the industry, the fact remained that the media was horrifically sexist. 

But that didn’t stop him from wanting her near him -- from wanting to see her every morning before work and confirm with his own eyes that she was home safely at the end of the day. He wanted to have more time to spend with the love of his life. They hadn’t talked about the sleeping situation yet. He assumed that she would want her own room, so she would take the guest room. It was practically her room anyway -- all that was missing was her. Granted, he would not complain if she wanted to make his room  _ their _ room… but that could be risky in its own way. 

Then there were the risks that only existed in his mind -- the unlikely ones, but also the ones that kept him up at night, the ones that made him hesitate to ask for as long as he had. The ones of her getting tired of him, of changing her mind, of falling out of love with him after living with him. To his credit, he knew that these were unlikely. He knew firsthand how deeply Kyoko loved -- and how much it took to break her trust. She still managed to have some form of love for her mother; she even managed to reconcile with Fuwa as something of a sibling, once the brat had grown up a bit. So the risk that something could happen between them to break them was almost nonexistent. Especially since she already knew all of his secrets. Well, there was one secret in a little box in his underwear drawer -- but he didn’t think she would begrudge him that one, since he wasn’t exactly subtle about wanting to spend the rest of his life with her.

But there was also the risk that when her lease was up, she would decide to renew with Kotonami-san. Which was entirely her decision and he would have to be alright with, since they were both adults. But that did not mean he couldn’t be jealous of Kotonami-san for getting to see Kyoko every day. Hence, the internal pouting at her leaving: He had gotten a week’s taste of what living with her would be like (even if it did include her protective, possessive best friend) and now had to go without once more. It was like trying to get used to life post-Cain and Setsu, except worse, because this time she was herself, and they were truly together. A young Kuon might have found it pathetic how much he already missed her, even as she was packing in the other room. The Tsuruga Ren that existed before they met again would have felt like he was betraying Rick’s memory. His current self just knew that he was in love.

**vVvVvVvVvVvVvVv**

Kanae stared in disbelief at the boxes she had just found in the guest bathroom’s cupboard. There was no way Kyoko had bought those. But there was also no trace of anyone other than Kyoko or the apartment’s owner in the entire place. So the only conclusion she could come to was that Tsuruga Ren had, in fact, purchased those for Kyoko. He had to have bought them online, because the media would have had a field day if he had been caught buying those in person. Sure, he could have worn a disguise, but there was only so much that could be done to cloak a man that damn tall. But the fact remained that he had bought them for Kyoko. And, given that she hadn’t even known that he had bought  _ shampoo _ , Kanae doubted that Kyoko was aware of these boxes. 

She pursed her lips and shut the cupboard door with a little more force than necessary.  _ Damn it, fine. I can share. _ The man had passed every test she had thrown at him this week, and even a few she hadn’t. The boxes in the cupboard were a testament to that. Because, even if they were a stupidly expensive brand, the fact remained that the man had bought tampons, pads,  _ and _ panty liners for her best friend. Sharing her with him -- trusting him enough to give her begrudging blessing -- was a safe enough risk. So she was going to share, even if she didn’t like it. Because this was what would make Kyoko happy, and if anyone deserved happiness, it was Kyoko.  _ And I’m not going to be the one to make her cry, damn it. _

**vVvVvVvVvVvVvVv**

Kyoko was stuck. Not physically, fortunately, but stuck on how to thank Kuon for his hospitality. Normally, she thanked people with food, but Kuon wasn’t the biggest eater. She did have some of her craft supplies with her, but just her doll-making ones -- and it wasn’t like he needed anything to ward off evil spirits. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. What to do?

Kanae snapped her fingers in front of Kyoko’s face, pulling her attention back to the outside world. “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m wondering how to thank Ren for letting us stay. I’d normally make food, but….” She gestured helplessly. 

_ I can’t believe I’m going to suggest this. _ “Why not make him a charm like that first one you made me?”

“But… but that was a charm of  _ me _ !” Kyoko’s cheeks went pink.

“And you have how many creepily accurate dolls of him?” Kanae flopped down next to her on the guest bed. “Look, I don’t know what else to suggest. I barely know the guy -- all that I know he likes is acting and you.”

“It isn’t too… presumptuous of me to make him one?” she asked, twisting her fingers together.

“No more presumptuous than having over a dozen of him.” A terrifying thought struck her. “Wait, do you have any of anyone else? I mean, aside from bastards one and two.”

“No. I never had a reason to curse anyone else like that -- even if his are more scolding tools than curse dolls nowadays.” She blinked down at Kanae. “Why?”

“Just making sure. But yeah, it’d be fine to make him one of you. I’m sure he’d love it.”  _ Thank the gods she doesn’t have a creepy miniature of me. _ “Just… maybe make it more like my charm than the dolls of him.”

Kyoko hopped off the bed to rummage in her bag for supplies. “What do you mean?” 

“Make sure her clothes don’t come off.” 

“MOKO!”

**vVvVvVvVvVvVvVv**

Before Kuon knew it, it was the next evening and he was helping the girls pack up their plants for transportation. It was dark enough outside that him helping them shouldn’t be too risky. He didn’t want to be doing this -- didn’t want to help Kyoko leave -- but he wasn’t going to make them carry everything themselves. That just wasn’t an option. So he was left trying to keep a pout off of his face while he knelt on the floor, organizing plants.

“Corn?” Kyoko’s voice interrupted his internal grumbling. 

He looked up at her with a smile. “Yes, princess?”

She fidgeted, hiding something behind her back. “So, um, I was trying to figure out a way to thank you for letting Moko and me stay this week, and was asking her for suggestions, and this was the only thing that we could come up with. And I know it’s a little weird, so you’re welcome to throw it away if you want, but… here.” She held out a little bag to him. 

“You didn’t have to,” he started, but was struck dumb when he saw what was inside. It was a little Kyoko doll, similar to the version she had made for Kanae, but wearing one of her typical date night outfits (dark jeans and a cute, flowery top) instead of her LoveMe uniform. And this one seemed distinctly less cursed, as it contained one of her angels instead of one of her grudges. It was small -- easily held in one of his hands -- and absolutely perfect. He stared at it in awe for two solid minutes before he realized that Kyoko was panicking and rambling.

“-- so I’m really sorry, I know it was a stupid idea so I’ll take it back and figure something else out --”

“I love it,” he breathed, only half-surprised to find that she had wound up kneeling next to him. “Thank you, Kyoko.”

“You’re… welcome?” Her gaze flicked back and forth between his eyes, and when she found no lie, she smiled. “It was kind of a rush job, so if you’d like me to change anything, let me know.”

He shook his head and held the doll over his heart. “It’s perfect. Now I can have a mini version of my omamori with me when we’re apart.” And sure, it might be risky to have a Kyoko doll in his bag when he was working, but that was not going to stop him. Not even Yashiro’s gloating when he inevitably found it would stop him. And that night, after he had dropped the girls off at their now-cockroach-free apartment, he placed the doll on his nightstand, so his omamori could watch over his dreams. It was the first night in a long time that he was not plagued by nightmares. Her smiling face was the first thing he saw when he woke up, and that made him decide to take another risk. Within a month, Kyoko would know what was inside the little black box in his underwear drawer -- and within a month, she would make a small ring to go on his doll’s finger. 

**And that’s it, y’all! What did you think? I hope you enjoyed this!**


End file.
